Need help straight away?
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Hello E,
Thanks for getting in touch with me and I can hear things with mum have been difficult since your parents split-up.
Sometimes it can be hard to talk with parents about what happened and this can leave everyone feeling stressed, although you may not be able to talk about it with mum at the moment there might come a point in the future where this is possible. It sounds like things are more relaxed when you are with your dad, perhaps you could tell him what things are like with mum to see if there is anything he could do.
Not wanting your mums new partner around is a natural reaction after your parents have split-up and it may take some time before you feel comfortable having a new person there. When a parent has a new partner it can sometimes make us feel hurt, pushed away or uncomfortable. If you find talking to mum about this leads to a fight then you could always try writing everything down to see if she responds better to that. It can sometimes help when someone has time to think about what we are saying to them and about how we feel and a letter can be a good way of doing that. I can hear that you are going through a tough time at the moment and would encourage you to have a chat with someone at ChildLine, as talking things through often helps. You can do this by giving them a ring on 0800 1111, request a 1-2-1 chat on the website or sending an e-mail.
You might also find it helpful to have a look at the Separation and Divorce message board where other young people can give you advice on how to make things easier at home.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.